


Bluff

by MyLittleBirdFlies



Series: overwhelm them with my honesty [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Card Games, Electrocution (mention), Gen, Kid Deceit | Janus Sanders, Kid King Creativity, hi this is me building a relationship between Creativity and Janus so I can tear it apart later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24832438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLittleBirdFlies/pseuds/MyLittleBirdFlies
Summary: "He was a side that contributed to lying, with some innate function that could easily be covered by the mindscape thrown in."After forming two weeks ago, Janus had some thoughts about this whole 'lying' thing. (Also, Creativity is there.)
Series: overwhelm them with my honesty [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779883
Kudos: 8





	Bluff

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> Ima be honest- I had some trouble coming up with the story for this one, but I finally got it after like, a week.
> 
> Also a big thanks to my friends, who gave me a list of items that an eleven year old would summon! Honorable mentions include a Bop It, stuffed animals, and money.
> 
> Title from: There's a card game called Bluff and they're playing cards! That's it, that's my reasoning.
> 
> Alternative title: the author writes a story that includes mostly foreshadowing, and only ties up a few things

There were several things Janus learned about being a side rather quickly. Of course, it helped when one of the other sides was the embodiment of curiosity, but Janus determined a few things himself.

One, all of the sides inhabited the ‘mindscape’. According to Curiosity, it was a metaphysical space that had no impact on the real world. It changed with the sides, altering to meet their needs easily. Creativity’s favorite use of this function was to summon a myriad of different items, which Janus unfortunately learned the hard way when he walked into the living room ( _ The Commons _ , Curiosity informed him) and tripped over two swords, seven half-empty boxes of Mike and Ikes, and a fuchsia bike. Why he needed a bike  _ inside _ the Commons was unknown to Janus, but he didn’t stick around to ask as he went to nurse his stubbed toe.

Two, each side influenced Thomas as much as he influenced them. This information was based on a meager amount of experience. H e understood that whenever Thomas lied, he felt it. However, he didn’t have to push Thomas. Most of the time it happened naturally. The other times, though-- Janus only had to exert a bit of energy and Thomas would follow along with whatever fib he told him. These times were followed up with a grimace on Feelings’ face.

And three, each sides’ function is what sets them apart from the others. Just _how_ far apart this distinction was caused him a bit of trouble, though.  


* * *

He was leaned against the arm of the couch, a handful of cards strategically angled away from his opponent. 

“Any sevens?”

“No. Queens?”

“No. Aces?”

“No.”

Across from him, a loud groan escaped Creativity’s mouth. “We’ve been doing this for  _ hours.  _ How do you not have any of the cards I need?”

Janus laughed. “It’s been five minutes, and I don’t know-- get a better deck?”

“This isn’t fun anymore,” Creativity said, sounding more like he was at a funeral. He slouched until his body slipped off the couch, and then got into a more dramatic laying-face-down-on-the-floor position.

Janus agreed. Curiosity and Feelings were busy with Thomas, who had to take some sort of assessment in order to start kindergarten. While Curiosity would have been fine with the job alone, Thomas was nervous about the new adults, so Feelings had to tag along to calm him down. This left Janus and Creativity alone, hence the Go-Fish.

It had been  _ interesting  _ these past two weeks, and it only got weirder each day he spent with the others. Don’t get him wrong-- he enjoyed it! But, it only took him a few hours after meeting the sides to come to a tentative conclusion. Feelings, Curiosity, Creativity-- all of these were base concepts in a child, but they were all abstract. They were complex, and represented things that went beyond base reactions in a brain. 

_ Self-preservation _ , however… It was more instinctual. Why would anyone need a side whose function could easily be covered without the complexities that came along with being a part of one personality?

Which led him back to the same thought he’d been tossing around for these last two weeks. 

He was a side that contributed to lying, with some innate function that could easily be covered by the mindscape thrown in.

The other sides complimented each other so well: Curiosity would fuel Creativity’s creations, and in turn Creativity would form new questions for Curiosity to ask. Feelings would feed Creativity's passion and soften Curiosity’s inquiries. 

And he didn’t hate the lying and the misleading. But he definitely hated the others' reactions towards it.

_ Lying _ made Curiosity upset. Primarily due to the fact that a lie would make it impossible to answer the question of ‘ _ Would mom be upset if I said I didn’t clean my room?’ _ \-- a question Janus would not let Thomas answer honestly, because he knew the answer was affirmative.  _ Lying _ made Feelings… uncomfortable. It was hard to describe it as anything but that. Any lie that slipped past Thomas’ lips, or any that was even  _ considered _ , caused the side to shift in uncertainty. Sure, he spoke against it from time to time, but it seemed like Feelings understood something that Janus only figured out a few days prior.

Feelings knew Janus’ function as a side was linked to lying, and in turn, asking him to not let Thomas lie was the same as Feelings being told not to make Thomas happy. 

Lying made Feelings uncomfortable, sure, but for the time being, it seemed like making Janus upset was worse to him.

As for Creativity-- well, that he didn’t know. His fellow side at worst was unpredictable and chaotic, and at best, seemed too involved with a creative pursuit to show any preference for Janus’ function. The uncertainty that came with not knowing how the other felt--

“So what do you think?”

Janus’ jumped, pulled from his thoughts. “Uh,” he supplied helpfully, while taking his focus off the wall and back to Creativity.

“Are you kidding! I come up with what was possibly the best card game in existence and you don’t even listen to the rules!” Creativity picked himself up off of the couch (which he had moved to-- had he been that deep in thought to not even notice?). A sigh came from the other side. “Okay, so each player gets five cards--”

“Do you hate my function?” The bluntness shocked even himself, but it seemed to do the job, as Creativity sat in front of him, cards forgotten.

“Why would I hate your function? You’re self preservation, you keep Thomas  _ alive _ , which means he can go to the park and play with the cute dogs people bring,” Creativity stated, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“The  _ lying _ , Creativity. I make Thomas lie,” Janus said.

“Oh. That.” There was a shuffling beside him as Creativity moved back to the couch, sitting to his right. “I guess I don’t really care? It doesn’t really affect me. If anything, I’m kinda…  _ grateful _ ?”

Janus blinked in confusion. 

Creativity shook his head quickly. “No! More like--” A huff. “I’m no good with words. But, you stopped Thomas from showing his parents that drawing he did of his brother. I don’t like that we had to hide it, but you were probably right-- they would’ve been angry, even if the electrocution was some of my best work. And I’m grateful for that.”

Whatever Janus would’ve responded with was cut off with the sound of footsteps down the hallway, Feelings and Curiosity finally entering the Commons, their major job for the day complete.

The next hour was filled with preparations for dinner, the sides bustling about in the kitchen, Feelings taking care of the more complex tasks. The room was filled with light chatter, containing none of the depth that his interrupted conversation had earlier.

He felt better, or at least, somewhat better. And he definitely wasn’t done talking to Creativity-- he still had questions-- What about when I lie and it hurts your function? What happens if your opinion differs from the others?

Janus was a new side. And with that newness came uncertainty. And sure, Curiosity and Feelings may dislike lying, but they didn't dislike _him_.  


So, as the dinner plates hit the table and the others took their seats, he knew one thing for sure. He had a place here, one that wasn’t going anywhere.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If for some reason you wanna scream about something, my tumblr is @ksfoxsoxs


End file.
